Greenpeace warns of ‘traffic surge’ as Germany gets moving again

By Andreas Hoenig and Christian Ebner, dpa
Berlin (dpa) – Greenpeace is predicting a surge in cars on the road in Germany and therefore an increase in pollution, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Many people are avoiding public transport out of fear of catching the novel coronavirus, while also generally being advised to stay home, according to a study by the environmental protection organization.

As lockdown restrictions ease, Greenpeace predicts more people will get behind the wheel.

As a result, the number of kilometres travelled by car in large cities alone could increase by up to 20 billion per year, the activists said. This would cause a “traffic gridlock,” while carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions could rise by an additional 3 million tons.